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Date: 07/16/2025

Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas

Rig derrick equipment and operate pumps to circulate mud or fluid through drill hole.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Prepare mud reports, and instruct crews about the handling of any chemical additives.
    • Prepare mud reports, and instruct crews about the handling of any chemical additives.
    • Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud, using portable mixers.
    • Inspect derricks for flaws, and clean and oil derricks to maintain proper working conditions.
    • Listen to mud pumps and check regularly for vibration and other problems to ensure that rig pumps and drilling mud systems are working properly.
    • Clamp holding fixtures on ends of hoisting cables.
    • Set and bolt crown blocks to posts at tops of derricks.
    • Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud, using portable mixers.
    • Inspect derricks for flaws, and clean and oil derricks to maintain proper working conditions.
    • Inspect derricks, or order their inspection, prior to being raised or lowered.
    • Supervise crew members, and provide assistance in training them.
    • Control the viscosity and weight of the drilling fluid.
    • Supervise crew members, and provide assistance in training them.
    • Repair pumps, mud tanks, and related equipment.
    • Guide lengths of pipe into and out of elevators.
    • Position and align derrick elements, using harnesses and platform climbing devices.
    • Steady pipes during connection to or disconnection from drill or casing strings.
    • Start pumps that circulate mud through drill pipes and boreholes to cool drill bits and flush out drill cuttings.
    • String cables through pulleys and blocks.
    • Inspect derricks for flaws, and clean and oil derricks to maintain proper working conditions.

    Skills

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    3
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    Knowledge

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    Career Video

    Video not available
    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 49700/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 23.89/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 30
    • Yearly Projected Openings 0

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Concern for Others
    • Self Control
    • Attention to Detail

    Tools

    • Acoustic ear muffs or defenders
    • Adjustable wrenches
    • Ball peen hammer
    • Blocks or pulleys
    • Blowout preventers
    • C clamps
    • Combination wrenches
    • Crown blocks
    • Drawworks
    • Drill hoses
    • Drill rig elevators
    • Drilling casings
    • Drilling screens
    • Ear plugs
    • End cut pliers
    • Facial shields
    • Fire extinguishers
    • Forklifts
    • Gas detectors
    • Goggles
    • Hard hats
    • Hoists
    • Jacks
    • Ladders
    • Lifelines or lifeline equipment
    • Lifting hooks
    • Makeup tongs
    • Mud agitators
    • Mud cleaning equipment
    • Mud degassers
    • Mud manifolds
    • Mud mixers
    • Mud pumps
    • Mud tanks
    • Oil country thread protectors
    • Oil field water oil centrifuges
    • Personal computers
    • Pipe handling equipment
    • Pipe wrenches
    • Pneumatic impact wrenches
    • Ratchets
    • Respiration air supplying self contained breathing apparatus or accessories
    • Respirators
    • Safety glasses
    • Safety harness winders
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Scaffolding
    • Screwdrivers
    • Shale shakers
    • Sledge hammer
    • Specialty wrenches
    • Spill kits
    • Surface data logging units
    • Tablet computers
    • Taglines
    • Triple beam balances
    • Two way radios
    • Viscosimeters
    • Winches

    Technology

    • Electronic mail software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software

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